In the home stretch

On four-game winning streak

Chase Williams takes a cut at a pitch during a recent game for the Tigers. Williams connected on a grand slam to lead Dawson to an 8-6 win in the second game of a doubleheader last Wednesday against Rabun County.

Dawson County High School Head Coach Jimmy Pruett’s baseball team knows what is at stake. In order for the Tigers to have a shot at the region playoffs they must win their last four games and hope some other region teams help out.

The Tigers got off to a great start on their journey by defeating Rabun County in a doubleheader last week, 3-2, and 8-6. With the two wins, the Tigers have a 4-game winning streak.

The Tigers have an overall record of 10-11 and most importantly an 8-8 Region 8-AA record.

Last Saturday’s game against Oglethorpe County was rained out. Oglethorpe County currently has an 11-10 overall record and a 5-10 region record.

The teams rescheduled the game for Monday afternoon in Dawsonville.

Scores were unavailable at press time.

The team will play its last regularly scheduled game this Friday with a doubleheader against visiting Walnut Grove (4-15; 2-13).

The game will also serve as Senior Night for the Tigers.

Wednesday’s first game was a pitching dual that went into extra innings.

The game was a rescheduled game due to inclement weather on Tuesday. Chase Williams and Chase Gilreath, in relief, pitched a gem. The duo held Rabun County to just five hits in the game.

Williams started the game and went six innings. He finished with 11 strikeouts and four walks. The walks got Williams in trouble in the sixth inning. Rabun pushed across two runs to take a 2-1 lead after the Tiger starter surrendered three walks and a single.

Gilreath relieved Williams in the seventh inning and struck out the side. Gilreath held the Wildcats at bay and recorded the win.

Dawson scored its first run of the contest in the third inning.

Gilreath doubled with two outs. Luke Williamson connected on a fastball to double in Gilreath and allowed Dawson to take a 1-0 lead.

Gilreath started the sixth inning with a single. Williamson followed and was hit by a pitch, putting runners on first and second.

Olin Bearden then came through in the clutch with an RBI single that drove in Gilreath from second base.

After a scoreless seventh and eighth inning by both teams, the Tigers got something going in the bottom of the ninth.

With one out, Dylan Garrett reached first on an error. Kaleb Kicklighter followed with the game-winning hit that allowed Garrett to score.

The second game was an offensive slugfest.

The Tigers connected on two homers, one a grand slam by Williams and a 2-run homer by Gilreath.

Rabun County also had two homeruns, both of which came in the seventh inning. The two homers closed the gap to a two run Tiger lead.

Williams’ homerun broke open a 4-3 Dawson lead in the fifth inning.

Williams drove a fastball over the fence that gave him four RBIs and put the Tigers ahead 8-3.

The top two hitters in Dawson’s lineup were on fire.

The pair accounted for 5 of 10 hits for Pruett’s club.

Gilreath went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs, while second batter Luke Williamson reached base three times with a double, a single, and he got nailed with a pitch in the sixth inning.

Tiger Austin Papaik had two hits in the game, one of them a double.

The first game against Walnut Grove is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. Friday.